The Huu-ay-aht First Nations Implement the First Nations Goods and Services Tax

GST/HST Notices - Notice 319
May 2020

The Huu-ay-aht First Nations have entered into an agreement with the Government of Canada allowing it to impose a value added tax under the Huu-ay-aht First Nations Goods and Services Tax Act. Effective March 27, 2020, the First Nations Goods and Services Tax (FNGST) was imposed on Huu-ay-aht lands listed in in Schedule 1 to the First Nations Goods and Services Tax Act. Currently, Huu-ay-aht lands listed in Schedule 1 include “Maanulth Lands, as defined in the Maanulth First Nations Final Agreement Act, S.C. 2009, c. 18, of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations.”

Therefore, as of March 27, 2020, the FNGST will apply to taxable supplies made on the Huu-ay-aht lands. Everyone, including Indians, will be required to pay the FNGST on property or services acquired on these lands.

As the FNGST is designed to work within the GST/HST framework, no additional forms or changes to registration will be required. Vendors will simply apply the FNGST to their supplies of property and services made on Huu-ay-aht lands in the same manner as the GST/HST. The GST, or the federal part of the HST, does not apply to sales on these lands when the FNGST applies.

Self-assessment

If a person acquires goods on a tax-relieved basis and brings the goods onto Huu-ay-aht lands, they will be liable for the FNGST on these goods. They will have to complete Form GST531, Return for Self-assessment of the First Nations Goods and Services Tax (FNGST) and submit it to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) together with the FNGST payable on the goods acquired.

Further information on the FNGST

If you require additional information on the FNGST, see CRA webpage First Nations Goods and Services Tax or GST/HST Technical Information Bulletin B-102 First Nations Goods and Services Tax - Place of Supply.

Other information